After
by TheFandomMenace1
Summary: When he returned from the Lifestream this time, he brought someone back with him.. [Collection of brief Clerith vignettes set in the aftermath of Advent Children. (Not an AU, largely ignores Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core)]
1. Reunion

**After**

 **Chapter 1**  
 _"Reunion"_

* * *

"See you around, Spikey."

Cloud looked up to see Zack's ghost standing in the church doorway, waving him off, his form growing more translucent as he turned and walked into the sunlight outside, until he'd vanished from sight entirely. His mind was still in a haze. He'd been somewhere else, moments before. The Lifestream? The afterlife? Somewhere else, perhaps? Some 'other' place, between life and death. Whatever the case, he now found himself standing in a shallow pool of warm water inside the slum church, surrounded by his friends and a large group of children, some of which he recognized from the orphanage.

He felt utterly disoriented. He wasn't going crazy, was he? That _was_ Zack he had seen just now, but... didn't he have Aerith with him? He could have sworn he'd heard their voices together, in that other place.

"Cloud?"

It sounded so much like her. No, it couldn't be..

He turned to see Aerith standing in the water behind him, her familiar, ever-radiant smile still on her lips. He simply stood there, stunned, as she moved in closer. Her smile turned into a mischievous grin as she approached, and she splashed some water on his face, giggling at his bewildered reaction.

"Aerith?" he sputtered in utter disbelief as he wiped the water from his eyes.

"Expecting someone else?" she replied, greeting his puzzlement with warm laughter.

Their friends only now noticed who it was standing behind him, and their discovery sent a wave of cheering and applause reverberating throughout the crumbling edifice.

"Are you feeling better?" Aerith asked.

Cloud looked down at his arms to see that the Geostigma infection was gone, washed away by the healing waters in which they stood. It didn't take long for their friends to notice, either, and before they knew it, the children were all leaping into the pool and splashing around, while the Avalanche crew erupted into yet more cheers. He turned his attention back to Aerith, who was watching him with a calm, gentle expression. Despite being surrounded by dozens of children, not to mention their friends from Avalanche, for that moment in time, it seemed like it was just the two of them there, alone in the crowd.

"Aerith, I.." he started.

Before he could continue, however, she launched herself at him, enveloping him in a tight hug. Her skin was warm to the touch, and he could feel her heated breath against his neck.

"I told you I'd come back," Aerith said, looking apologetic for a moment. "I'm just sorry it took so long. But I'm here now."

Cloud hugged her back, relieved to see that it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him. She was very much alive.

And _very_ naked.

He had only noticed just now, as she moved in this close. He'd wondered momentarily why she'd kept everything except for her head submerged. Now he knew. He blushed as she clung to his body, pressing her figure tightly against his own, making it evident that she wasn't letting go until she had something to protect her modesty with. "Um... guys? Little help?" he said, turning to the rest of the Avalanche crew.

Tifa was already halfway across the room, searching through his footlocker for any spare clothing to throw to them. The others, children and adults alike, simply broke out into laughter at their silly predicament.

Aerith drew back a little, enough to look him in the eyes. She held his gaze for what seemed an eternity. He tried to say something to her, but the words wouldn't come. He had a million questions for her, but the hows and whys could wait. They weren't important right now. She laughed again, running a warm hand down his cheek, as if to dispel any lingering worries from his mind. For the first time in years, he smiled.

* * *

 **A couple of notes on this collection:**

 **1\. "What is all this palaver?"**

'After' is an alternative ending to 'Advent Children', and will be followed by a series of Clerith vignettes scribbled as they occur to me. 'Dirge of Cerberus' doesn't take place in this timeline. Don't expect many plot points or characters from the extended backstory to rear their heads here, either.

 **2\. "What are you doing bringing dead characters back to life? That's just plain wrong!"**

I realize that dabbling in resurrection has been something of a bugbear in the community for a while. This is 'Final Gritty Reality' we're talking about, after all. As far as precedent goes, however, my Exhibit A would have to be the final boss fight from 'Advent Children'. (Also, I'm pretty sure most people presumed Rufus and Tseng to be dead before the release of said movie. Maybe they just got better.) In any case, it seems a little hypocritical to extend this arbitrary rule only to certain characters.

 **3\. "Why not just write an AU where Aerith survived?"**

I don't know. I've never been keen on AUs, to be honest. It just seems to me that uprooting a set of characters from their canonical setting always causes them to lose something of their essence, if that makes any sense. The further one removes them from their original context, the less they remain themselves, IMO. Modifying the existing timeline in this manner seems to me a (slightly) less crass way of doing things.

 **4\. "Will there be a plot?"**

Not really. Technically, this collection might qualify as having a "plot" in the sense that these characters are progressing through linear time, and developing bit by bit as they go, but don't expect the "let's go save the world again!" kind.

Okay, done rambling now. See you next chapter.


	2. Saturnalia

**After**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**  
 **"Saturnalia"**

Their tender moment was cut short, however, as Tifa threw them some dry towels and the rest of their friends gathered around to help them out of the water. The martial artist ushered the others away to afford Aerith some privacy and a moment to get dressed. The only choice she had was to make use of some of Cloud's spare clothing, which hung loosely around her slim figure. Once dressed, she quickly rejoined the group, exchanging hugs and greetings with everyone, nearly overwhelmed by the attention as they thronged around their long-lost friend.

It went without saying that celebrations were in order. After reassuring everyone that she was okay to walk by herself, Aerith followed the rest of the group, sticking close to Tifa and Cloud, as they all slowly filtered out of the church, heading in the direction of the 7th Heaven.

"Clothes fit you okay?" Tifa asked Aerith.

"To be honest, they're a little... baggy," Aerith replied, tugging at the tightly-woven material. Her borrowed outfit was ill-fitting, to say the least, but it was certainly better than nothing.

"Still, I've gotta say, black don't look half bad on you, kiddo," Cid weighed in.

Aerith chuckled. "Thanks, but I don't think it's my color."

"Don't worry," Tifa said. "I'll lend you something more appropriate when we get home."

The Avalanchers continued on marching through the city, surrounded on all sides by children from the orphanage and elsewhere, converging on Tifa's bar for a night of unrestrained libation. Marlene had hitched a piggyback ride with Cloud, while Denzel stayed close behind. Yuffie, similarly, had demanded one from Vincent, who reluctantly agreed after some cajoling on her part.

"Aren't you getting a little old for these?" the former Turk asked.

The young ninja wasn't having any of it. "Less talkin', more walkin', buster!" she replied. "Giddyap!"

Vincent rolled his eyes. "The things I do for love," he muttered under his breath, doing his best to keep her steady in spite of her constant shifting around.

"I'll have to fire up the grill when we get back," Cid said. "Got a lot of hungry stomachs to fill, by the looks of it."

"Good idea," Aerith said. "It feels like I haven't eaten in years."

"Technically, you haven't," Nanaki pointed out.

"Hey, you know we gotta talk to Elmyra about this, right?" Barret said.

"I know," Cid said. "She's gonna have a freakin' heart attack."

"But in a good way," Yuffie pointed out.

"Hell," Barret said, "last thing I want on my conscience is sending Aerith's mom into an early grave.."

Cloud stayed slightly behind the others, watching as they all congregated around Aerith, discussing all the things they needed to do now that she was back. It was strange to observe, in a way. Neither she nor they had missed a step, it seemed to him. And Aerith found her way back into the fold as naturally as if she had merely been on a long journey somewhere, and not actually deceased, with the same ease and grace as anything else that she did.

"All right," Tifa said, pushing her wardrobe open. "Let's find you some new threads. We'll have to go shopping tomorrow, of course," she added, "but let's see what we can pick out for tonight."

"Sounds great," Aerith said, seating herself on Tifa's bed. "So... what did I miss?"

"You don't know?" Tifa asked, sorting through her various outfits.

"Some of it," Aerith said, drawing her knees up underneath her chin. "I could see bits and pieces of the present from... the other side. But I figured you could bring me up to speed."

"Well, I'm guessing you know all about our fight with Kadaj and his crew," Tifa said. "As for the rest of us, we've been keeping busy, I suppose. Cid's got this fleet of planes he's managing. Reeve's running his own company, trying to undo some of the damage Shinra did back when they were still around. Barret's helping him, sort of like the ground team leader. Nanaki's doing his 'wise mentor' thing back in Cosmo Canyon. Yuffie's in some kind of etiquette training back in Wutai. Never lets us hear the end of it. And Vincent's, well, Vincent. He just sort of comes and goes. Doesn't tell us much about what he's up to. The Shinra people... well, they say they've reformed, but I'd keep my eye on them, if I were you."

"I see.." Aerith said. "What about you?"

"I've got the 7th Heaven to run. And then there's the orphanage. You know, because of the Geostigma. At least we shouldn't have to worry about the illness for much longer, thankfully."

Aerith nodded. "And Cloud?" she asked, somewhat more reluctantly.

Tifa paused. "He's... he's been on the road a lot, running deliveries. It brings in some extra cash, but to be honest, I think it's mostly just to be on the road. He doesn't like to stay in any one place for too long."

Neither of them said much else for a moment. Aerith decided not to press the subject that was upmost on her didn't seem like the right time to broach the topic, and she didn't wish to intrude on Cloud and Tifa's privacy, if they were indeed together, as she suspected they might be now. Still, if they _were_ in a relationship, she saw little evidence of it, with Cloud spending his nights at the old slum church, and everyone at the 7th Heaven sleeping in their own separate beds.

"How's this?" Tifa said, interrupting her thoughts as she held up a white summer dress.

"Perfect," Aerith said, getting up from the bed.

* * *

The party was well underway when the two girls came back downstairs, with people from all over the city crowding the 7th Heaven, sharing food and drinks and blasting loud music out through every available speaker. Aerith spotted Cid and Barret at the bar, who were, as far as she could tell, busy doing their best getting Cloud blind drunk.

"Guys, could you maybe not kill him right away?" she joked. "I _just_ brought him back from the dead."

"Shee-it, girl," Barret replied. "If now ain't the time to get drunk, I don't know what time _is_."

"Speakin' of which," Cid added, "get you anything?"

"I'll... pass, thanks," Aerith said. "You boys have fun."

"Where's Yuffie, by the way?" Tifa asked, scanning the crowd for the missing ninja.

"Dunno," Cid replied. "She disappeared after finishing that," he added, pointing to an empty bottle of rye on the counter.

"Wait, you let her at the bar?" Tifa asked. "How much did she have?"

"Let's just say, if you had a chandelier, she'd be swingin' off it right about now," Barret said.

Tifa looked as though she were about to launch into a long rant about letting minors drink when Aerith pulled her away from the bar. "Maybe we can let it slide for one night?"

"All right," Tifa replied, "but don't think they're not getting an earful in the morning."

The evening went by in a whirlwind of drinking, dancing, and general debauchery. Aerith barely noticed the time passing given the sheer chaos, as she did her best to mingle with both people she knew as well as strangers eager to meet with the heroes of the day.

She and Cloud caught brief glances at each other from across the room, and she was a little dismayed that she couldn't break away to catch up with the person she wanted most to spend time with, but they both realized it was impossible for them to be alone at this point, so she decided to simply enjoy herself, and to do her best, despite still feeling hazy, to partake in the evening's convivial madness.

Some time later, well past midnight, most of the guests had either already left or were busy dragging themselves off to bed. The 7th Heaven's floor was an unspeakable mess, and the bar's stores of food and spirits looked to be wholly depleted. Aerith walked across the floor, heading upstairs to get some rest, when she noticed Cloud's sleeping form on a couch in the corner of the room. He and the other Avalanchers had already been exhausted from the day's fight, so it was little wonder that he'd crashed on the nearest available surface.

Aerith had hoped that once the bar had cleared up, they might have a few minutes to themselves, just to talk without anyone else around. They would have a lot of catching up to do, but that could wait until morning, she thought. For now, he'd earned some rest and, by all appearances, seemed to be sleeping easy, for once. They had all the time in the world to catch up.

She picked up a blanket from behind the bar counter and covered him with it, before reaching down to brush a few stray locks of hair away from his face. "Good night, Cloud," she whispered, placing a quick kiss on his cheek before heading upstairs.


	3. Courtesy Call

**After**

 **Chapter 3  
"Courtesy Call"**

* * *

Naturally, arrangements had to be made to notify Elmyra that her adopted daughter was back among the living. It was obvious that a phone call wouldn't do, lest she mistake it for a cruel prank of some sort. Ultimately, the Avalanchers resolved to go in person, which only left the outstanding question as to who would accompany Aerith to see her mother. Marlene and Denzel insisted on going to see 'auntie Elmyra', of course. Most of the other Avalanchers volunteered to join in as well, but no-one could quite agree on the right number of people to make the trip. "Why don't we all go?" Yuffie suggested, and that was that.

First, however, they'd have to help Aerith replace her now non-existent wardrobe, a task that, as expected, fell to Tifa. The two of them insisted that Yuffie and Cloud tag along as well, and it wasn't long before they found themselves wandering through Edge's downtown market district, drifting from one clothing retailer to the next, before coming to a stop in one of the larger stores in town.

Tifa frowned, looking over their selection. "I guess pink isn't in season."

"This'll do nicely, though," Aerith said, picking out a white summer dress, not unlike the ones she used to wear in her teens. "Of course, I don't have any money.."

"Don't be silly, Aerith," Tifa said. "Pick anything you want. We'll pay for it."

Aerith smiled, and quickly assembled a new set of clothing for herself more apropos to her tastes than her borrowed garments, choosing a pair of shoes and a red ribbon to tie her hair with, before ducking into one of the changing booths. She emerged a moment later, looking absolutely radiant.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked, turning every which way to give her friends a better look. Although her question had been addressed to the group, her eyes fell on Cloud, who was floored by her new appearance.

"It's... um, very nice," he managed.

Aerith giggled at his stuttered answer, but found herself blushing slightly at his reaction, as well.

"Holy cow," Yuffie said. "That outfit kicks ass."

"It looks perfect on you," Tifa said. "Let's ring you up."

They took Aerith's selections to the counter and quickly paid for the chosen articles. "Got everything you need?" Tifa asked as the clerk handed over her receipt.

Aerith smiled at her again, appreciative of her friend's gracious gestures. "Yes, thank you," she replied. "So... you want to head back to the bar?" she asked, turning to the rest of the group.

"I think I'd like to browse a bit more, see the summer selection," Tifa replied. "You guys go on ahead."

"You sure?" Cloud asked.

"Come on. I think we'd best get moving," Aerith said, leading him away from the store. "I have a feeling she's going to be torturing Yuffie with frilly dresses for a while."

* * *

 **[Later that day - Elmyra's house]**

It was a sheer wonder, Cloud thought, how Elmyra's home had remained nearly untouched by the havoc that Meteorfall had wrought years before. If anything, the venerable old house had held its ground, so to speak, while the rest of what used to be Midgar had slowly receded from it, until it now stood nearly alone in altogether more pastoral surroundings, with vegetation of every kind rising from and growing through the remnants of twisted metal and concrete as nature reasserted its domain.

He approached the front door and knocked, glancing to the others as they gathered behind him, waiting for an answer. Straining his ears, he could hear a quiet sigh coming from inside as someone stirred, followed by light footsteps nearing the door. Finally, the door opened and he was met with Aerith's mother. After Meteorfall, he would visit Elmyra every now and then during his travels away from the city, and they'd talk about old times. It had been a while since his last visit, however, and she seemed to him a little more grey and tired-looking than the last time he'd seen her.

"Oh... hello, Cloud," she greeted him, before noticing the crowd gathered behind him. "I see you've brought some friends," she added, giving her best attempt at a smile.

"I brought someone else, too," he replied, stepping aside to reveal the very-much-alive Aerith.

As expected, Elmyra was completely startled by her sudden reappearance among the living. He eyes went wide, and her breath caught in her throat. She turned partly sideways, grasping at the jambs of her doorway to steady herself. "Mom," Aerith said, rushing over to support the older woman. "Mom, it's okay. It's me."

"Oh, my Aerith," Elmyra said, embracing her lost daughter. "My angel."

Cloud turned to the others again. There were smiles all around at the happy scene. He couldn't help one either, despite himself, upon witnessing their reunion. Elmyra bade them come inside, and the group of eleven did their best to spread themselves throughout the cramped kitchen.

Aerith led Marlene and Denzel upstairs to show them her room. "I don't know if we have any toys upstairs, but let's take a quick look, shall we?"

She didn't have to ask twice. The two children were practically jumping up and down as they followed her up the stairs. Meanwhile, Elmyra, now looking invigorated and overjoyed, zipped around the kitchen, insisting on serving tea and cake to the whole group.

"Really, you don't need to trouble yourself.." Tifa began.

"Oh, hush now, dear," Elmyra replied, ushering them to their seats around the small kitchen table. "Sit down and drink your tea."

"Now, there's a woman after my own heart," Cid remarked, grinning.

"I'm sure Shera will be thrilled to hear that," Yuffie commented.

"I'm just sayin', she's got good taste," Cid replied. The captain was evidently in hog heaven over Elmyra's exotic selection of herbal blends. "Damn, this crap's amazing. What's in it?"

"Family secret," Elmyra replied with a wink. "I'm afraid I can't part with it."

"Aw."

Elmyra smiled. "You'll just have to come over more often."

"I may just do that," Cid replied.

Aerith returned downstairs a few moments later with the children, having found a few things for them to play with, and seated herself between Tifa and Cloud, joining in the group's conversation as everyone feasted on Elmyra's refreshments. For a while, little was exchanged beyond pleasantries and small talk, but eventually the time came to ask the big question. The one that was still on everyone's mind.

"So, you're back," Elmyra said.

"Yes, I'm back," Aerith said. "To stay," she added, as if to assure her mother and everyone else that she was not merely some visiting apparition.

"But... how?" Elmyra asked. "You told me she died," she said to the others.

"I did," Aerith replied.

"Then.."

"To be honest, I don't quite know, myself," Aerith said. "I know I was in the Lifestream. At least, I think I was. But I felt myself getting pulled away from the... well, the 'collective'. I don't really have any other way to describe it."

"Some sort of second chance?" Vincent suggested. "Might Cloud's presence there have had something to do with it?"

"I had a theory," Nanaki said to Aerith, "about you having died, well, 'imperfectly'. It's possible that your soul was caught in Limbo. And Cloud's having placed your body back in the Lifestream allowed the two to be reunited. I'm afraid it's all speculative, of course. It's not as though we have any real precedent for the dead simply coming back to life."

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Rufus and Tseng would seem to disagree."

"That's not.." Nanaki fumbled for words, "They weren't _really_.."

"However it happened, it's a miracle," Elmyra said. "I'm so glad you're back."

Aerith smiled at her mother. "You didn't think I'd leave without saying goodbye?"

Their talk gradually turned to less serious matters once more. "I trust you've all been behaving yourselves," Elmyra said to the group, half in jest, as the conversation drew on.

"Well, y'know. We've been keeping busy," Cid replied.

"What about the Shinra people?" Elmyra asked. "I hear they've been turning over a new leaf. Is there any truth to that?"

"Ah, those motherf-" Barret started. He halted, noting the stern look he was getting from Aerith, who had expressly requested that everyone 'mind their language' around her mother. "Those Monday-to-Friday chumps can hump a cheese grater for all I care."

"You're not big on second chances, I take it?" Reeve asked.

"Not after what they did, no," Barret said.

"Come on," Reeve said. "Everybody makes mistakes."

Barret wasn't having any of it. "Makin' a mistake is when you walk out the door with your fly unzipped. The sh... _stuff_ they did was evil, period."

"Agreed," Vincent said. "This was willful malice on their part."

"I think Reeve's got a point," Tifa said. "Maybe we should give them a chance. Rufus really does seem to have changed after what happened."

Barret scoffed. "I'm surprised at you, girl. I say screw that trust-fund brat. You forget that time he tried to gas our asses? On live TV, no less? Y'all got a short-ass memory, you ask me. You seem him again, you tell that mother-lovin' piece of shrimp he can toss my salad."

"Barret!" Tifa chided him.

"What?" Barret replied.

"'Toss salad'? What's that mean?" Marlene asked, tugging at Tifa's skirt.

"Not now, honey," Tifa said, exasperated. "Go play with Denzel, okay?"

"'kay," Marlene replied, hopping off her chair.

"Thanks a lot, Barret," Tifa said. "Guess who gets to explain that term to a six year-old later."

"Or avoid it for the next ten years, anyhow," Cid muttered.

"I don't trust them, either," Vincent said. "'When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time'."

"Rufus tried to kill you?" Aerith asked. "I mean, of course he tried to kill you, but.."

"Oh, yeah. You weren't around for that part," Reeve said. "It's a bit of a story. I guess now's as good a time as any to fill you in. Cloud, you care to get us started?"

"So, after you... died," Cloud explained, "we chased Sephiroth up the mountains, all the way to Icicle Village.."

"Hmmm.." Aerith said. "I've never been there."

"You have, actually," Vincent interjected.

"Really?" Aerith asked.

"Right, so... we found this abandoned house at the edge of town," Cloud continued. "Had some old recordings of your mom and dad. Apparently, it's where they lived while they were hiding from Shinra. It's where you were born."

"...I never knew about that," Aerith said.

"I'll take you there sometime," Cloud said. "If you want," he added.

Aerith smiled at him. "I'd like that."

There was another brief lull in the conversation. After a while, they realised that it was still an open question as to where Aerith would be staying, now that she was back.

"You'll always have a home here," Elmyra said.

"Thanks, mom," Aerith said. "If you guys don't mind, I think I'd like to stay here for a few days," she said to the others. "Just need to get my things from the city, then come back here."

"Of course. You're welcome to stay at the 7th Heaven, too," Tifa added. "Any time you're in Edge. We'd love to have you over."

"I appreciate it," Aerith replied, beaming.

* * *

They said their goodbyes as the night drew in, then exited Elmyra's home one by one. As they all gathered outside in the cold night, Aerith placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Hey, Cloud. About that trip to Icicle Village... I was thinking, it's not like I have much to do right now, so.."

"Icicle Village? Gonna be a bit of a trip," Yuffie pointed out.

"I did promise you that ride on the Highwind, didn't I?" Cloud said.

"Guess we'll have to ask Cid nicely," Tifa said.

"I have another idea," Aerith replied. She turned back to the house, knocking on the door. Elmyra poked her head out, slightly surprised to see her daughter back already.

"Hey, mom. About those herbal blends.."


End file.
